Fourth album from alternative rock icons, R.E.M, ‘Live’s Rich Pageant’ showcases the band as more or less the finished product. An album that radiates confidence and emphasizes the beat, the band turns in its hardest rockers to date, including the anthemic “Begin the Begin” and the punky “Just a Touch.” Lyrically, this is the album where the band get political. “Fall On Me” is a wonderful song about the effect of capitalism on the environment. The band sounds more contemporary both musically and lyrically than they did on their previous albums, which helps give the record that extra kick. Definitely a must have, and possibly the most important album of the college rock era in terms of breaking it into the mainstream.